Trust me
by MGstars
Summary: Regina and Robin barely know one another, but they are dying to date each other. As an unexpected and overwhelming even threatens their lives, Regina might be Robin's only way to salvation... and save someone else in the process.
1. Trust me

_A/N : This story is a gift to my valentine ariestess, for Love From OQ 2020 week. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed writing it for you _

_I apologize for the mistakes as this isn't betaread. Thank you Nani for the advices __and the help with the manip_

_Warning for mention of physical abuse._

* * *

The day begins as usual, with his regular morning clients: Mrs. Lucas, the old lady from across the street who comes, as regular as a clock, every single Monday at 9am; Archie Hopper, the psychologist, who buys the town's newspaper every morning; and Leroy, the grumpy lonely guy who lives next door and buys a pack of six beer every morning.

Robin chats a little with all of them, as it has become his habit.

Today, he learns that Mrs. Lucas' granddaughter is about to come visit her, and that she'll be with her new girlfriend, to the old woman's pleasure, because, like she said 'they've been together for a year now and I haven't even met the girl yet!'.

Archie Hopper tells him about the APA convention he'll be attending this week-end in Washington, about how interesting it is to meet with colleagues from all over the country and even the world, and that Robin shouldn't worry when he won't see him buy his journal on Saturday.

Leroy complains, _again_, about his upstairs neighbor who turns the music up until 2:00a.m, says that he went to see him and talk, whatever talk might mean to Leroy, but the kid, Peter something, slammed the door in his face.

Robin listens, interested, amused, curious, as his regular clients tell him about their lives, and ask about him and his son, how Roland is doing at school, if they need anything. They know he's a single father after his wife passed away giving birth to Roland, barely five years ago. Not the easiest context to raise a child, especially when your job keeps you away from home 12 to 14h a day 6 days a week. But Robin is resourceful, full of imagination, and his son is his top priority, so he converted the break room into a giant organized and secured playground. When Roland stays at the shop with him, his entire world is made of knights, castles and outlaws protecting princesses.

Robin is also gifted with the best friend anyone could hope for: John Little. The two have been inseparable for as long as they can both remember, and John has been like a second parent to Roland since the day he was born, the little boy considering his "Uncle John" a true member of his small family.

But Robin carries the hope to add one member to this family, to find Roland someone who could love him like a mother, giving him the missing piece of his life. And well, let's say that there is this woman, this _Regina Mills_, who caught his eye and his heart.

She comes by usually very early or really late, once or twice a week, never the same day, and that has Robin on edge every time the doorbell rings. The woman is everything he loves: Smart, funny, stunning in every way, even after a 24h shift at work, as he knows she's an attending physician in the ER of their town's hospital. Brown eyes that holds a fierceness and a strong temper that makes him shiver every time their gazes lock, the widest smile that has his heart melting, long ebony hair falling over her shoulders. The few times she's met with his son, she's always been the kindest to him, winning his Roland's heart instantly, and the sight had brought tears to Robin's eyes.

She's everything he isn't: successful, always perfectly dressed, with a grace and an education he doesn't possess, and who is he to compete with her? _Him_! A single father who barely went to college, and owns a small grocery shop in the center of Storybrooke that takes so much of his time he barely gets to see his son growing.

Robin ignores if she likes him the way he likes her, she hasn't let anything slip, but after six months talking to her every week, slowly getting to know her without truly _knowing _her, Robin can't take it anymore –and to be honest, John can't either, has claimed that he's tired of listening to him babbling about this damn woman, and that he should man up and ask her out. So Robin _has _to be a grown up, and offer to buy her a drink. It will be awkward as hell if she says no, or worse, if she tells him that she's already seeing someone –she's never mentioned anyone to him but well, it's not as if they tell each other's secrets. But it's worth the shot.

Morning goes by as usual, followed by the afternoon, and as hours pass, and night begins to fall, after John texted him with a picture of Roland eating a slice of pizza bigger than his chubby face, Robin slowly loses the hope to see her show up today.

"Hello!"

Robin's grin is instinctive when he hears the sound of _her_ voice. He looks up from the cash register, and there she is. Wearing the tiredness of a long day at work, but also a deep, bright smile that warms his chest and makes him beam at her like an absolute idiot.

"Regina!" he welcomes her cheerfully. "No night shift today?"

She shakes her head and sighs in relief, her perfect dark hair flying around her shoulders as she leans over the counter. "No. Believe it or not, I am now officially on vacation, and that for the entire week."

Robin's eyes widen. That woman is addicted to work, he's surprised she even knows what a vacation is.

"Did someone force you?" He asks, frowning but raising an eyebrow playfully, Regina catching on his tease when she chuckles and walks to him.

"Yes and no. While making the schedules last month, my head of department realized that I had exploded the time quotas by replacing my colleagues during their holidays, and that I had not taken any in almost a year. So, here I am!"

"Shocking!" Robin teases. "It's nice of her though. Not everyone respects working time."

"She does. She's bossy, not particularly organized," she says with a slight roll of her eyes and a snort. "but at least she's fair to us, and avoids inequalities."

"What will you do with your week then?" Robin asks, suddenly very interested in hearing her answer.

Regina's smile widens. She leans her head to the side, staring at Robin as she thinks of her answer.

She feels reinvigorated every time she comes to this small shop, and today is no different. It's not really the place itself. No. Let's be honest: It's the owner. A charming, handsome British man with blonde hair and stubble and ocean blue eyes, a humor that matches hers, a bright spirit that lights up her days.

Since she first came here for an emergency food purchase six months ago, and she met his adorable dimples and heard this accent, it was over. She couldn't _not _come back. This place, this man, his adorable little boy that she's met a few times, everything was drawing her here. Soon, it became a routine, for her to stop by after her shift, twice a week, buying whatever she needs to cook herself something to eat, using these moments to chat a little with Robin.

She loves their small talks, the way Robin always checks in. He does that with all his regular clients, she knows that, she's not stupid enough to think she gets a special treatment, but well. She won't complain. It soothes her loneliness a little. Working 50 to 70h a week doesn't leave her much free time for a love live. She has friends, yes, very selected but extremely good friends that she manages to see regularly outside of work. But the last time she's felt a man's warmth wrap around her body was like... ages ago. And she likes Robin. She really, _really _does. He makes her feel giddy, in a way she hasn't felt in a very long time.

So, as she left work today, she made a resolution: She's going to invite him to dinner. Today.

She glances around, and aside from a kid who's walking around between the shelves that Robin seems to be keeping an eye on, they're alone, and the conversation they're having just gave her the best opportunity.

"Actually," she starts, biting her bottom lip nervously as she looks down for a moment to give herself some courage. Damn, when was the last time she asked someone out? "I had an idea. I was wondering if you were interested in... well, let's say..." she pauses, hides the way her breath shudders. "a dinner? With me?" she finishes when she looks up.

"…"

Nothing.

She was expecting something: A smile, a word, embarrassment, a refusal even. But she wasn't expecting Robin to stare ahead of her, completely ignoring her. Her temper flares, annoyance, but also disappointment growing in her at his lack of interest. So it's with a bit more force than usual than she asks. "Robin?"

But he's still ignoring her, frowning at something behind her, all trace of his teasing and usual cheerful mood gone and replaced by something she can't quite decipher but that doesn't sit well with her. So, she turns around, notices the kid she saw earlier standing in the middle of the room, backpack in hand, which confuses her to the highest.

"Can I help you, young man?"

Robin's voice startles Regina, and when she looks back at him, she realizes something that she hadn't noticed before: Tension. He's tensed, his carotid beating fast in his throat, she can see it now.

His face goes blank suddenly as he steps back, and Regina frowns, dread filling her at the sight of the shock on his face. She warily turns around, and what she sees makes her blood run cold.

The boy Robin was watching is holding a gun in his hand, and is pointing it in their direction.

"Wow, kid! Easy there!" Robin says, attempting to stay calm and overcome the pounding of his heart that's pressing on his chest and making breathing more difficult. He's felt that something was wrong with this boy since he entered his store shortly after Regina, but he never foresaw this turn of events. His hand slowly slides under the desk, his fingers shaking. Bless John for forcing him to have a panic button under the cash register.

"Give me the money!" The boy screams at him, agitated, and well, with shaking hand holding a gun possibly loaded and pointed in his and Regina's direction, this situation could blow up at any moment.

"Relax, alright." Robin says with all the calmness he can muster considering the situation. "There's no need to hurt anyone."

"The money! _Now_!"

Robin struggles to stay calm, overwhelmed by a sense of powerlessness and fear. Cops must be on their way now, but will they arrive in time? His cash register is full, he will lose a good part of his turnover if this kid leaves with his profits, but does he really have a choice? Is a few hundred dollars worth risking his life for? Orphaning Roland? Put Regina in danger?

Robin glances at Regina, finds her staring at him, the same fear he's full of reflecting in her eyes, and the choice is easy to make.

"Ok, no problem." he relents, looking down at the cash register, starting to type the code to open it. "Let me open the-"

The doorbell ringing followed by a huge noise makes Robin look up from his cashier just in time to see whoever had just entered the shop running away at fast speed and the door slamming shut right after. The sound of the detonation is so deafening that Robin doesn't immediately realize what happened. It is only when he meets Regina's gaze, and the worry on her face, her eyes widen in horror, that he realizes that there's something wrong.

And that a sharp pain is spreading in his shoulder, dizziness crashing down on him all at once.

"Robin!"

Regina rushes behind the counter, catching Robin before he falls backward, shocked. He's not unconscious, but shaken, his body and mind trying to adjust with the situation, the bullet that just pierced his shoulder. She helps him out from behind the counter, then to sit on the ground, her hands cupping his cheeks.

"Robin, hey! Stay with me, okay!"

A loud thud and a scream make her glance behind her. Regina finds the kid standing there, half-stunned, half-panicked, the gun on the ground, holding his arm. Probably the shock of the recoil from the gunshot, but her concern fades when Robin's raspy voice calls her name.

"Regina?" he breathes, blinking repeatedly to keep his eyes open.

"Yes, I'm here." she reassures, pulling on his shirt to get a good look at the wound. "How are you feeling?"

"I've been better. First time I get shot."

"Hopefully the last one." Regina mutters as she makes him lean forward just enough to check his back.

The bullet pierced his shoulder through and ended in the wall, which left Robin profusely bleeding from the entrance _and _the exit wounds. The only thing she can do from here is to stop the bleeding, and that won't be the easiest thing given the situation they're in.

"First aid kit is under the desk." Robin tells her.

Regina glances carefully at the boy, who's grabbing the gun and looking at them, his face blank as their eyes lock.

"Is he gonna be okay?" He asks with a small voice.

"You should've thought about it before shooting him." Regina replies harshly, not paying attention to the pain written on his face at her words.

She grabs the kit then, opening it, quickly assessing its content and rummaging through it to find what she wants, not paying attention to the boy rushing to the cashier.

"You hang in there, okay!" she tells Robin authoritatively, removing her jacket and covering him with it. "I won't let you bleed out to death."

She pours a good dose of disinfectant on his wounds, then applies a thick layer of gaze, and starts banding his chest the faster she can, despite the blood slipping from the injuries quickly.

"I'll buy you a drink if you keep your word." Robin replies, trying to chuckle, to make it sound as if he is not in a horrible pain that makes him choke on every breath, as if he's not asking her out on a date in the middle of a holdup after he got shot.

"A drink for saving your life?" Regina lifts an eyebrow, smirks at him. There's nothing to laugh about this situation, but hell! She doesn't give a damn about anything but saving his life right now. "I'd more likely deserve a dinner, don't you think? Or do you have such little consideration for your own life?" She smiles at him, hoping that it helps, that it keeps Robin's mind busy thinking about something other than the hemorrhage weakening him by the minute.

It must work, because he laughs, tries to anyway, shakes his head before leaning it against the wall again. "Deal!"

"_No_! No no no no no no no!"

They're interrupted by the kid's ramble, both turning their heads to find him, staring through the door, face blank. He takes his head between his hands, in total panic mode, the gun still in his hand. When the phone starts ringing, startling the three of them, Regina and Robin understand what he must be staring at: The police. The situation just got even more complicated now.

"Not the police! He said no police!" he babbles, staring at the ceiling, around him, searching for a way out. "He's gonna be so mad."

Regina frowns at his words, his behavior, his fear, takes a better look at him, and what she sees now that she pays more attention to _him _and not to the gun in his hand, makes a shiver run down her spine. That boy isn't angry. He's desperate. Worse, he's _terrified_. By what? By _whom_? Who is this _he_ he seems to be so afraid of?

She glances at Robin, wanting to see if he's noticed it too, but she's stricken by how pale he is now, white as a sheet, his forehead sweating, his breathing labored, and if she doesn't find a way to take him to the hospital soon, he might very well not make it out of here alive. The decision is easy to make, has Regina inhale sharply to give herself confidence, and whispers, catching his eyes to make sure Robin hears her. "Give me a minute." She begins to turn away, but she catches herself at the last minute. "And don't die! I want my dinner."

She barely hears his low chuckle as she gets up, wipes her hands on her pants the best she can to remove the blood, then puts them in the air so she won't frighten the kid, and faces him.

"Hey!" she calls him, trying to be gentle, not to startle him. "Look at me. Look at me!" she insists when he doesn't seem to have heard her. His erratic gaze finally lands on her, and he pauses, stops rambling, confused, so she smiles, hope that it will reassure him a little. "My name is Regina." She fights the hammering beating of her heart in her chest because well, she might be trying to calm things down here, but they're not out of trouble yet, and Robin's still need medical cares that she can't provide in these circumstances, and if she messes up everything they might all end up dead. "What's your name?"

The boy stares at her with incredulous eyes, but relents. "I- I'm Henry." he stutters.

"Hello, Henry. The man over there," she tilts her chin towards Robin, uses this moment to make sure he's still awake, sends him a small smile when he meets her eyes. She's not sure if he's seen what she saw, if he's understood what he realized, but he's letting her take the lead, and hopefully that will lead them somewhere. "is Robin." She turns towards Henry, realizes that his eyes are set on Robin, then move to the blood on her hands, what he did probably hitting him hard. But there's no time for this.

A familiar ring resonates, making Henry jump backward and rising his gun again, eyes wide with fear, hands shaking, and that's not good.

"It's okay!" Regina smiles at him again, praying that he won't freak out. "That's me. Let me check who's calling me, okay?"

Henry stays silent, although he doesn't lower the gun, but Regina takes it as a yes, pulls her phone out of her bag and frowns.

"She's a friend of mine, she works for the police." Henry immediately tenses at her words. "If you let me answer, I can try to find a way for all of us to safely get out of here, okay?" He hesitates, is clearly at a loss regarding what to do, and Regina bites her lower lip, prays that he will believe her, because what she just told him is exactly what she wants to do.

"You tell them to stay away!" Henry replies with a shaking, no matter how he tries to be strong, voice.

Regina nods at him. "I'll do what I can." And then she picks up. "Mal?"

"_Regina! Please, tell me I have a sight problem and you're not talking to the kid who took your neighborhood food store hostage!"_

Regina winces, looks at Henry with a sympathetic smile in order to reassure him.

"Are you the one in charge?" she asks.

"_Damn right I am!"_ Mal thunders on the phone. _"Care to tell me what's going on?"_

Regina takes a second to think. Mal –real name Mallorie, but she's always hated it- is her best friend, and she's also one of this town's best police inspectors. Knowing that she's in charge gives Regina a bit more leverage than she had a minute ago.

"I'm... trying to figure it out." Regina replies. "Can you give me time?"

"_Are you kidding me?"_

"You know me well enough to know that I don't." She takes a deep breath, and lets out the two words she knows will convince her friend. "Trust me."

Mal blows out on the other side of the phone, clearly annoyed, but well, Regina never expected her to take it the nice way. _"You'll owe me one."_ She says firmly. _"You have fifteen minutes."_

"Thank you."

Regina hangs up, puts her phone back in her bag, and focuses back on Henry.

"Okay, Henry. The cops are going to give us a moment, but I need to understand what's going on here?"

"I told you to tell them to leave!" he orders. "They can't stay here!"

"I can't do that, Henry" she replies sympathetically. "You just shot a man, stole his money, are keeping us hostages with a loaded gun. Your only way out of here is through them."

"No!" Henry shakes his head, his breath erratic, his hands trembling, a frown barring his forehead. "You don't understand! He'll hurt her if I don't give him the money."

It sets an alert in Regina's mind. "Who are you talking about?"

"No one!" Panic flickers in Henry's eyes, as he must be realizing that he's said too much. "Stop asking questions! Help me out of here!" he screams.

Regina inhales sharply, knots of anxiety tearing her stomach, fearing a new accidental shot, and given the short distance between her and Henry, the bullet wouldn't only shot her shoulder.

She decides to try a different tactic, mentally prays that it will work. "Henry, I'm sure that we can find a way for everyone to get out of here safely. That's what you want, right?" He doesn't answer, but his head moves up and down slightly, which Regina takes as a nod. "Why don't you start by telling me who's forcing you to commit a holdup?"

"He told me not to say anything to anyone."

_Okay, we're getting here_, Regina thinks. Not that Henry gave her more information, but at least, his tone is calmer, less panicked. "Because he'd hurt _her_?" In front of his nod, she adds. "Who's she? Your mother? Is your father threatening you and your mother?"

Henry's shake of the head is immediate, and he looks down, sniffles and wipes his nose with his sleeve. Regina might not know what's going on, she might still feel insecure by the situation, and worried sick for Robin, but someone is using this boy to commit a crime, and she has to do something to save him.

"If he's not your father, then... darling, who's taking care of you?

_Bingo!_

His face changes, eyes widening, and Regina knows she put her finger on one of the problems, if not the main problem. She crouches in front of him, hands still in the air, using her kindest and most reassuring voice, because for a reason she completely ignores, her heart squeezes for this child whom she doesn't even know and just shot the man she's a crush on.

"No one." He breathes, his voice so low she has to lend an ear to hear him. "No one cares about me."

The truth in his voice... The acceptation... It hits her like a brick, and _fuck_! If there's anything she can do to help this boy once they get out, she will. His tone is calmer, arms along his side now, gun pointed at the floor. It's still in his hand, but at least it's not directed at her or Robin anymore.

"But someone is hurting you?" she questions, almost certain of her assumption. "Someone is threatening a person you love?".

From where he is, despite the fog slowly surrounding him, and the weakness seizing him to the guts, Robin watches Regina interact with Henry, the way she's slowly, but surely, gaining his trust.

She's taking his breath away. Her confidence, the way she can be soft but firm, how she managed to calm down Henry and is gathering information unveiling the truth over what appears to be a horrible situation. That woman is incredible.

He knows that she's doing this partly for him, to take him out of here, because he's not blind. The pain in his arm is overwhelming, the bandage she made is already soaked, failing to contain the bleeding, exhaustion is plaguing him and making keeping his eyes open a challenge. The fear to die hasn't faded, because every second that passes takes him closer to that precipice, and even if he trusts Regina to do everything she can to save him, it also depends on a barely 12 or 13 years-old boy who's still holding a gun he doesn't control, while in the middle of a break down.

He adjusts his position against the wall, groans as pain spreads in his entire chest. He's lost count of the hours, but it's dark outside, John and Roland must be freaking out and wondering where he is.

Roland... his beautiful, wonderful boy who means the world to him, and whose future, just like his, depends on an exceptionally brave and determined woman.

Regina catches on Robin's painful breath, quickly glances at him, her heart beat quickening when she realizes that the clock is still ticking, and faster.

"Henry, Robin needs medical attention." she reasons. "I'm sure you didn't want to endanger his life, but you have to let him out of here."

"But if I do, they'll arrest me, and he will be angry." Henry counteracts, with sadness this time. "And he'll punish her because I failed."

The hair on the back of Regina's neck spikes up at his words and tone. "Henry, I swear, if you tell me everything, I'll make sure that he won't. The inspector waiting in the street is my friend. She'll protect you! She'll put you and whoever you want to protect to safety."

He lifts teary eyes at her. "You can do that?" he asks with a shaky voice tainted with the slight disbelief that someone could finally put him out of this hell.

Regina smiles at him. This is going somewhere. "I give you my word. Now, tell me: who is _he_?"

"My foster dad." he reveals, head down.

"Is he hurting you?" Regina questions, anger flaring inside her. She's dealt with abused foster children before, and it always drives her mad. She's no mother, but she cannot comprehend how some people could be abusive towards... well... anyone.

Henry's face reddens, his lower lip trembles as he explains. "He's only interested in the money he wins by having me. He makes the social services believe that I have my own room, but when they're not here, I sleep in the basement, and sometimes, when he's drank too much, he beats me up."

Slowly, tentatively, he grabs the hem of his shirt, lifts it up, revealing his abdomen. Regina gasps at the sight, her jaw falling open. There's a large, round, blue and green bruise that's covering his belly, and more bruises over his torso, colors ranging from purple to pale yellow, showing differences in the age of the lesions, evidence of repeated and long-standing abuse. Regina takes a long, deep breath to absorb the news.

"And who is _she_? Who are you trying to protect?"

Henry takes a moment, frowns, but when he looks up, it's with hope-filled brown eyes staring at Regina. "My little sister, Amy. He said that if I didn't come back with the money, he'd make her pay. I always managed to protect her until now, always told him to beat me instead her, but this time he... he refused. He said that if I failed, he'd catch up on all the times he didn't punish her." Regina is silent, listens, keeping all her feelings boiling inside her. She'd better never run into Henry's foster dad, or she might break her oath and make this man pay for harming innocent children. "She's only six!" Henry reveals. "She's still afraid of darkness, and he locks her up in the closet when she doesn't listen."

It takes Regina a moment to process the information, to recover from the shock. She swallows heavily, blinks a couple of time before asking with a raspy voice. "Does the gun belong to him?"

He nods. "Yes. He keeps it locked up in his bedroom. He told me not to mess everything up. But I screwed up everything." Henry admits. "It's like he tells me: I'm a loser, I'm good at nothing."

Regina reacts instinctively then, as she sends her hand forward, and cups Henry's elbow.

"That isn't true." She says, gently, kindly. But the gesture, as soft as it is, has Henry wincing, pulling away from her, which sets an alert in Regina's mind.

"I'm sorry, I-" she starts to apologize, but something catches her eyes. She leans forward, glancing at Henry as if to ask permission, and when he gives it, she carefully takes his arm, and rolls up his sleeve. She closes her eyes as she discovers the bruised skin of his arm that has turned purple.

"Oh my God, Henry..." She breathes, almost a wailing, the sight, the thought, of what this child's been through without anyone noticing making her feel nauseous.

She pauses, breathes deeply through her nose, and when she locks eyes with the boy, it's with determination.

"Henry, listen to me very carefully: I am going to call my friend from earlier, the police inspector, and I am going to tell her to come in." When panic flickers in Henry's eyes and he steps back, she closes her fingers over him, rubbing gently in reassurance. "I promise you, that she'll put your sister out of this. None of you will ever go back there. He will never, ever, lay a hand on either of you. _Trust me_!" She looks behind her, chest squeezing at the sight of Robin, leaning against the wall, struggling to stay conscious. "But Robin needs help, and Henry, you and your sister do too!" She explains as she looks back into his eyes. "You do! You deserve so much more than this. Please! Let me help you three." she begs, her eyes teary, her mind exhausted because damn, three lives are at stake right now, and they depend on her, and all the recent revelation are weighting on her.

This is her chance to save that boy and his sister, to save Robin. Her heart is beating fast in her chest, her mouth is dry, palms sweating, feeling dizzy and nauseous.

The veil of doubt that was clouding Henry's eyes fades, as he manages, for the very first time, a small and shy smile, falling on his knees, head down, dropping the gun on the floor, and squeezes Regina's hand back.

Robin's last thought before he loses consciousness, as he watches the boy surrender, is that Regina is the most stunning and impressive woman he's ever seen.

Regina takes her phone to her ear. "Mal? You can come in."

It all happens in a blur. Regina holds her hand in front of her when the police comes in, assuring them that it's fine, everything is under control. Henry is hiding behind her, trembling from head to toes, and she kneels to be at eye-level.

"Don't worry, I won't let you down. But I need you to go with my friend-" She grabs Mal's arm and brings her closer, her friend hiding her confusion by pursing her lips. "while I check on Robin. Can you do that?"

He shyly nods at her. "Okay."

Regina begins to walk away, but Mal places a hand on her shoulder, an eyebrow raised in question when Regina meets her eyes. "What's going on?"

Regina nods towards Henry. "I found you a new case to dig in."

And then she rushes to Robin's side.

"Robin! Robin, come on, stay with me!"

He's unresponsive, still bleeding out, and she rips the medical kit from the paramedics, starts setting up an IV while one is prepping the fluid and the other one puts the monitoring in place.

"Gunshot to the shoulder, the bullet is out. I couldn't stop the bleeding, and his state deteriorated quickly. He's in hemorrhagic shock, but still breathing." she sums up quickly as they start placing him on the gurney. "He needs-"

A hand wraps around her arm, interrupting her. Regina finds Mal looking at him with compassion-filled eyes and a small smile. "They know how to do their job, Regina." She's about to argue, but her friend insists. "You've done everything you could. Let them take him to the hospital."

"But I-"

"Hey!" Mal interrupts her, placing her hands on Regina's shoulders, squeezing gently. "Breathe, Regina. He's being taken care of. Now, I need you to explain to me what happened with this one." She tilts her chin towards Henry, who's looking down, sheepish and guilty.

Regina crouches in front of him, and when he looks up at her, she smiles, no matter how tiredly, and wipes his tears with her thumb.

"Is he gonna be okay?"

Regina smiles tiredly at him, trying to be reassuring, but she's freaked out too, and she can't lie to him. "I hope so."

"I'm sorry. I never meant for any of that of happen."

She accepts his hug, closes her arms around his body, careful enough so she won't hurt him, not knowing the extent of his own injuries. She takes a moment, feeling a sudden exhaustion plaguing her, a weight crushing her, and it takes all of her energy to pull back and keep on a reassuring smile as she grabs Henry's chin with her thumb and forefinger tenderly.

"That's okay, Henry. You did the right thing. Doctors are going to take care of him. Now, let's take care of you."

She gets up, faces Mal, and sighs. And then she tells her everything she knows.

xxx

There's an inconstant noise that's pounding in his ears, reaching him despite the fog and darkness surrounding him.

He wants to go back to sleep, wants to rest for a little more, but something is pushing at his arm now, and the noise comes closer, annoying him to the highest level.

Robin groans as he awakes, the sound intensifying immediately, whatever support he's on moving under him.

He opens his eyes, squints against the light, blinking repeatedly to adjust, his head pounding, his hand covering his eyes in a reflex.

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy wake up!"

Robin's suddenly wide awake when he recognizes the annoying noise as his son's voice, and he forces through his tiredness, through the blinding light, forces his eyes open. He almost chokes on a wave of tears when the knowing curly brown hair appear in his line of sight, and soon, Roland's brown eyes and his dimpled smile.

Robin tries to speak, but it comes out as a raspy wailing, so instead he lets his boy jump in his arms, huffing painfully when it triggers a strong pain in his shoulder, but Robin couldn't care less.

He hugs his son with all the fear he was full of when he thought he'd die, kissing his head, rubbing his back, grinning like an idiot, but at least he's an alive idiot.

"You had a _looong _nap!" Roland exclaims cheerfully, receding to look at him. "Uncle John say you're sick, and it's why you sleep so much, but you're all better now, right Daddy?"

Robin laughs at his son's comment, shakes his head. He does still feel a little shitty, weak, his arm numb and vaguely sore, his mind foggy, forcing him to push through the tiredness to stay coherent and attentive. But well, this is nothing compared to what he remembers feeling as he was lying on the floor of his shop.

The cold that had seized him then, the way his body was trembling, his strength abandoning him with every drop of blood that seeped out of him, the tiredness crashing on him, the dizziness. He had hold onto the hope that Regina would reason with Henry, that she'd allow him to see his son's face one more time, and she did! She really did.

Thanks to her, Roland hasn't lost his only parent. No words can express the relief filling him right now, as he's blessed with the sight of his adorable and beautiful boy grinning at him, his heart overwhelmed by love for this tiny human being he's so lucky to call his son.

"You scared the hell out of us." A strong voice comes from next to him.

Robin smiles widely at John, their hands clasping in relief.

"You should've known I wouldn't leave you!" Robin answers playfully, because he can now, all the memories he has of the holdup are only that: Memories. He's alive. In a hospital bed, judging by the room, the IV in his arm, the monitor he's linked to. But alive.

Thanks to Regina.

Which makes him realize that she's not here. Robin scans the room, barely hearing John talking to him, but there's no trace of her. She must be home resting, it was emotionally draining, he can't even begin to imagine the state she must be in. It was selfish of him to think that she'd have waited for him to wake up.

"Coffee and hot chocolate delivery has arrived!"

Robin stills, heart leaping in his chest as _she _enters the room, carrying a four-cup tray, a smile from ear to ear illuminating her face. She pauses when her eyes land on him, but Roland jumping from his bed and running to her, bouncing up and down, forces Regina look away and lowers to her knees in front of his son.

"A hot chocolate for you, Roland!" she says as she hands him his small cup. "And..." she takes a small paper bag that stood balanced on the tray in the middle of the cups. "I managed to find you an apple turnover."

Roland's eyes and mouth widen in surprise and excitement. "Wow! Thank you, Gina!" he exclaims happily.

Regina laughs at his enthusiastic reaction, ruffles his hair tenderly. "You're welcome, honey." She gets up, turns towards John. "And a cappuccino with extra whipped-cream for you."

She gives John his drink, puts the tray on a table nearby, and finally, _finally_, looks back at him. Robin can't tell how beautiful she looks right now, even more than he remembers. Her eyes are shining, she's radiant, glowing. Stunning. In every way.

"Look who's finally woken up." she teases, wrinkling her nose as she walks closer. "How are you feeling?"

For a moment, Robin stares. He stares at her, beaming, until someone –John, probably- clears his throat, and asks Roland to follow him outside the room, adding on his way out that _"these two have a lot to discuss"_.

Regina's eyebrow raises. "Did I miss something and you lost your tongue when you got shot?"

Robin frowns at her question, shakes his head, coming back to his sense and sheepishly chuckling. "I'm sorry. I must say I was a bit worried when I didn't see you at first." he admits. "Thought you may have already forgotten about me."

Regina's gaze lowers, a giddy smile tugging at her lips as she places a wide lock behind her ear.

"How could I forget about you?" she replies when she looks up again. "You owe me a dinner, remember?"

Inwardly, Robin breathes in relief.

"I owe you two, actually." he corrects.

Regina frowns at him. "What do you mean?"

"Well..." Robin pats the mattress next to him, inviting her to sit, and she hesitates at first, but ends up sitting down. "If I remember correctly, you asked me out _before _I did."

Regina's eyes widen. "So, you had heard me?"

"Of course, I did. I was just too focused on Henry, felt that something was wrong with him."

Her face falls, and his does, too. He doesn't remember everything that was said, but he does remember the abuse this boy has suffered.

"Where is he, by the way?"

"Here, actually!" In front of his confusion, Regina adds. "I had him hospitalized. It often happens when we discover abuse on children. That way the investigation can happen while they are safe and taken care of. It also allows us to check the extent of their injuries and treat them at the same time."

Robin blows out a relief breath. The boy may have shot him, but the circumstances he was in were worse than he could've imagined.

"My friend Mal went to his foster family's house, she found his sister locked up in a closet, terrified. She's here with Henry, we placed them in the same room."

"And the foster parents?" Robin asks, swallowing hard, shaken by the news of what happened to these two kids hitting him in his core.

"In jail. It's going to be a long road, but hopefully they'll never see the light of day again."

Robin watches her hands resting on her lap, and he can't resist, covers them with his own, letting her open her palm and welcoming him, closing her fingers over his. What she did for these kids is phenomenal, he still has difficulties to grasp how brave she's been during this entire situation. And still is. She's handling this and giving him information calmly, without faltering, and where the hell does she find the strength to be so... resilient?

"Thank you, Regina." he says when their gazes lock. "For saving my life."

She smiles at him, tilting her head to the side, squeezing his hand. She leans forward, Robin's eyes drawn to her lips, unsure of what she's doing, but he certainly won't complain as she slowly closes the gap between them.

Her lips land on his cheek, pressing a soft kiss, lingering slightly longer than a normal kiss to the cheek should.

"Once you'll feel up to it, I'll be ready for those diners you promised." she whispers in his ear, Robin shivering and smugly smirking as she pulls back, biting her bottom lip as she grins at him coyly.

"You can count on me for that!" he assures.

_Knock knock knock..._

They startle, Regina leaning back to put some more comfortable distance between them.

"Come in!" Robin says, his eyes fixed upon a blushing Regina. She's even cuter when she looks like she's been caught red handed.

A blonde woman peaks inside, as if waiting to answer, a permission Regina gives her immediately, getting up from the bed to join her.

"Robin," she cups the woman's elbow. "This is my friend Mal. She's an inspector, and she's the one who was assigned to the holdup."

"Nice to meet you, Robin."

He shakes the hand she holds out for him. "Nice to meet you too. Thank you, for giving Regina a chance out there."

Mal and Regina exchange a glance that tells Robin that the friendship between these two is long and full of stories.

"She usually gets what she wants." she answers, amused, an eyebrow lifted, a smirk tugging at her lips, glancing pointedly between the two.

"Oh, come on!" Regina exclaims, laughing. "We already agreed to go to diner together once he gets out of here. You can drop the act!"

"Thank God!" Mal says. "At least this won't have been for nothing!" Robin chuckles at her remark. "By the way," she turns towards the door. "Someone else benefited from the situation. Robin, Henry would like to say Hi. Can he come in?"

Robin sits up in the bed. "Of course!"

The boy may have shot him, but it was exceptional circumstances, horrible ones, a dilemma that gave him no other choice but to follow through a plan he didn't choose, and although there's a tiny voice in his head that tells Robin that Henry almost killed him, the father in him screams forgiveness. Henry peaks his head inside tentatively, sheepishly glancing up, only entering the room under Regina and Mal's encouragement.

"Hi, Robin."

"Hello, Henry! How are you doing, mate?"

His kindness must reassure Henry a little, because he walks forward, daring a small and shy smile. He's joined by an adorable little brunette, half his age, who snuggles against his side immediately, Henry wrapping his arm around her shoulders to keep her close.

"I'm good, thank you. Better, thanks to Regina and Mal." He gratefully glances at the two women, squeezes his sister against him, before looking back at him. "I want to apologize. I never planned to hurt you, I was surprised when someone came in and I-"

Robin lifts a hand, cutting Henry off. "I accept your apologies, Henry. On the one condition:" He holds out his hand, lets Henry close the gap between them and take his hand. "that you stop beating yourself up for this, okay? You had no choice, you were trying to protect the most important person for you." he glances at the little girl who's still clutching to her brother, smiles tenderly at the beautiful child who must be totally confused about everything that happened. "I'm glad someone great came out of what happened. I really am."

Henry smiles then, a real one this time, a bit more confident than earlier.

Roland and John joining them helps relaxing the atmosphere immediately, his wonderful son completely oblivious of what had been at stake. Mal goes back to work, John does, too, and for the rest of the afternoon, it's only Roland, Amy, Henry, Regina and Robin.

Robin watches Regina interact with the kids, smiling at him from underneath her lashes whenever the children aren't paying attention, glowing, her laugh warming his heart. He discovers a funny and passionate woman, who clearly has a soft spot for children, handles the three easily, provides reassuring words and cuddles.

And really, he can't wait to share the diner they promised each other. Because something inside him tells him, that their story, could reveal to be epic.


	2. Falling for you

_A/N: Here's my last participation to OQPromptParty2020. Those of you who have read the first part of this verse have asked for it, so here's Robin and Regina's first date after the hold up. _

_I used the following prompts in here:_

_154\. Robin takes Regina stargazing_

_159\. Leather_

_222\. Robin shares a painful memory_

_Please review on your way out!_

* * *

"_Hey. I am really sorry, but Roland heard John and I talk about our date, and he's been begging me to ask if you could perhaps meet me at my place so you could say hi and wish him goodnight. You don't have to say yes if it feels too awkward."_

Robin sucks on his lower lip, anxious as he stares at his phone. His son's request changes their plans, as he was supposed to do things properly and pick up Regina. He should've seen it coming though, because even if tonight is their first official date, Regina has been more present in his life since he got shot, helping him with the house, with Roland, and his son has grown very fond of her. Very, _very_ fond of her. To the point that Robin feels pressured now that if they don't work out, Roland's heart will be broken.

It's funny, the way he accepted Regina in his life without her even truly be in it. She mostly helped for groceries, brought them fresh meals so they wouldn't only live out of pizzas and Chinese food, drove him around whenever John wasn't able to, as his arm is getting better but still need physical therapy. Robin has to admit: He loves having her around. Even John confirmed that she was perfect for him, and that he should make sure to keep her because "you don't meet a girl like that every decade". And it's true. It is, really.

So, when his phone rings with the answer to his text, he anxiously checks her answer, hoping that it didn't make her freak out.

"_Of course, tell Roland that's no problem. I'll be there at 8 ;-)"_

Beaming at her answer, at the smiley that might mean nothing but already means a lot, Robin releases the breath he was holding.

"_Perfect. Thank you so much! See you later!"_

xxx

Ding!

"_Yaaaay!"_

Roland storms out of his bedroom, racing through the apartment at fast speed, almost bumping into Little John, forcing Robin to halt his walk to the door as he runs past him.

"It's Gina, Daddy! It's Gina!"

"Calm down, my boy!" Robin gently scolds as Roland is jumping up and down in front of the door, waiting for him to open. "You're going to scare her off."

"_Ginaaaa!"_

Robin is oblivious of his son's shriek when he opens the door and faces a very gorgeous Regina, dressed in a black fitted skirt that stops just above the knees, a red top with a slight neckline, and a black leather jacket that perfectly complements her outfit, giving her a look that is both chic and casual.

Her eyes almost immediately move from his to his son, Roland throwing his arms around her legs, and she crouches in front of him, kisses his cheek.

"Hello, you! I was told you wanted to see me."

"Yes!" he hisses, grabbing her hand and dragging her inside the apartment without even caring about his father or John. "I choose the book so you read me a story."

Robin frowns at that. "Son, we did agree that Regina would say goodnight, not that she'd read you a story."

The little boy stops in his track suddenly, as if just getting caught, facing his father and John's pointed look with the most sheepish, most adorable begging eyes. "But I want her to read me a story, Daddy."

Robin's eyes move to Regina's, who's biting her lower lip to stop herself from laughing at the comic situation, waiting for his verdict.

"What do you think?"

"I don't mind, if that's what you're afraid of. But you're his father. If you believe that's not my place, I'll respect it."

Assessing the situation quickly, exchanging a look with John, Robin ultimately caves in. "Alright. But only a few pages. If you let him decide he'd ask for three different stories."

"Very well. Come on, Roland."

The moment the two have disappeared in Roland's bedroom, Robin hears John's voice next to him. "Man, you better keep that one, or Roland will be more devastated than you will be."

After a few minutes, time for Robin to finish getting everything ready, he peaks his head inside Roland's room, finding his boy snuggled against Regina, his head against her chest as she tenderly runs a hand through his brown curl, reading him one of his favorite stories. He stays there for a moment, observing them with a melting heart, wishing deep down that he'll get to see more of these scenes, that Regina will fill the void in Roland's heart and life. And in his, too.

"There, you'll finish the story tomorrow with your daddy, alright, Roland?"

The little boy sleepily nods, leaning further in against her, Regina unable to help cupping his head and kissing it tenderly. Robin relieves her of the book quietly, helping her get up. He kneels in front of his dozing son, Roland instinctively grabbing his hand resting on the mattress.

"Goodnight, my son. Sweet dreams."

Regina exits the room to give them a bit of privacy, waiting in the living room and using that moment to finally properly say Hi to John.

"That boy really loves you very much."

She holds onto her arm. "I know. I love him too. He's adorable."

"I hope you two will get to spend plenty more time together in the future."

Smiling softly at Robin's friend, very much aware of his implication, Regina nods. "I hope so, too. I'd really love that, actually."

"He's out for the count." Robin closes the bedroom's door behind him, heading their way, smiling as he cups Regina's elbow. "Thank you, for this. You didn't have to."

"It was my pleasure. Shall we?"

Inviting her to the door, after good evening wishes to and from John, they're out.

"So, where are you taking me?"

"Did you take that pair of flat comfortable shoes I told you about?"

"I did." She holds out a small bag. "But I still don't know where we're going."

Robin leans against her, bumping gently in her shoulder. "Trust me."

Their first stop is a little restaurant near the town's border, one that Regina never heard of. As they sit at their table placed in an alcove, out of sight, she looks around, humming in appreciation.

"This is a really nice place. Do you often come here?"

"Only for special occasions." Robin replies with a lopsided grin.

Regina rests her chin on her hands, leaning towards him. "Does that mean I am special?"

Robin chuckles to hide his blush, but stares right into her brown and shining orbs when he replies. "_Very_ special." He dares send a hand forwards, catches one of hers that she gives him easily, her fingers looping around his as his thumb rubs the back her hand. "I couldn't wait to take you out on a proper date, after everything that happened."

Regina smiles softly. "That's quite a story, huh? Asking someone out during a holdup after getting shot is not something everyone can brag about."

"And having your life saved by the person you just asked out." Robin points out.

"I hardly saved your life, Robin. All I did was vainly try to contain the bleeding."

"That's not what I'm talking about, Regina. What you did with Henry, that was you saving our lives. If you hadn't managed to get him through, I'd have bled out, Roland would be an orphan and who knows where Henry and Amy would be."

Regina glances down at the mention of the kids, of their story. She still has nightmares about that, about Robin, white as a skin and losing blood, about the moment she saw Henry's bruised skin, realized the hell he was living in. Even now, a month later, as Robin is alive and the children are safe in a temporary foster family while she's doing everything she can to become one and care for them, as she takes them out for an ice cream or to the park several times a week and sees the relief in their eyes, she shudders at the mention of the abuse they've suffered, of what could've happened that day.

"We are all safe thanks to you." Robin breathes out, bringing a hand to gently cup her chin, tilting it up so her glistening eyes can meet his. In front of her evident emotion and slight embarrassment, Robin smiles gently, pulling his hand away. "How are Henry and Amy by the way?"

Relaxing at the change of subject, Regina clears her throat and leans back against her seat, grabbing the menu. "They are good. I took them to the zoo yesterday, they were thrilled. The family caring for them right now is really nice, but Henry told me he really hopes I'll get the agreement to become their foster family soon."

Robin beams at the news, looking at his own menu too. "No kidding! That kid must see you like the Messiah, you pulled them out of quite a hell. Any idea of when you could receive your agreement?"

"Hopefully, in two or three months. They're trying to speed things up because of the situation, but I still need to find a way to adjust my schedule at work. Being away 70 hours a week won't be an option if I'm the only one caring for two kids."

A young woman with a notebook in hand approaches. "I'm sorry to interrupt, are you ready to order?"

After a common agreement, Regina turns towards the woman. "I'll have a glass of white wine, a Tariquet please."

"It will be a whisky for me: The Lagavulin."

"Very well. Have your chosen your meals?"

Regina glances at her menu. "Yes. I'll be the wolffish in Asian sauce for me."

"And I'll take the pork chops with barbecue sauce."

"Perfect! Would you like some water?"

Robin looks at Regina, waiting for her opinion. "Would you prefer still or sparkling water?"

"Still, please, if it's alright for you."

"Then still water it is." He hands the menu to the waitress. "Thank you."

Robin waits until the woman has walked away before resuming the conversation. "How's that going by the way? Will your boss let you slow down?"

"It's complicated. She wouldn't mind, but the duty roaster must be filled."

"You know, if you need someone to watch them when you're at work, I'd happily help."

Regina's face breaks into a wide smile. She never, would never ask him such thing considering he already works a lot and has a son to care for. Yet, knowing that he'd be ready to help her, when they're not even officially together and their friendship is still being built, means much more than she could ever ask for.

"Thank you, Robin. But you have a lot to do already, and my father is retired and has offer to take care of them when I'll be working." Noticing the hurt flashing on his face, Regina adds immediately, meaning every word. "I'll keep your offer in mind, and I'll ask, I promise."

The rest of the dinner goes by swiftly, with the conversation never wavering, Regina feeling more comfortable with this man than she ever felt with anyone else. He's naturally kind, gentle, and there's this feeling settling inside her that this man could very well reveal to be someone who treats her kindly, who cares for her, who makes her happy. As she looks deep into his eyes, butterflies rising in the pit of her stomach at the smile of these adorable dimples of his, she realizes that it's already the case.

After he's hold her jacket for her to put on, the reflex to grab his arm with one hand, and link her other hand with his comes naturally, and they exit the restaurant side by side, grinning like two happy idiots pressed against each other.

"Are you finally going to tell me where you're taking me?"

Robin beams at her, digging a tooth into his lower lip, and that sight melts her heart completely. She's weak for him, already in love even though they've never even kissed, and damn this man is going to be the end of her.

"If you really insist. But if you can wait a few more minutes, I'd rather keep it a surprise."

Impatience grows within Regina, giddiness invading her as she can't help giggling like an idiot. Her mother would be so ashamed of her behavior, but to hell with that. She's wanted this man for a while, she's not going to act as if he didn't make her feel something.

"Alright, I'll wait. I just need something first."

And without giving him time to reply, she stops their walk to the car, faces him, grabs him by the collar and presses her lips to his.

He didn't expect her move, stills with the surprise, but when Regina pulls back, fearing his reaction, she faces his eyes shining with lust, his breath short, and before she has time to react, it's him who kisses her, a hand cupping the back of her head to keep her close as his lips move eagerly against hers. He sucks on her lower lip, tongue teasing and soothing as he changes the angle, pressing himself closer to her, taking everything she's willing to give as she grips his jacket and fervently answers his kiss. They make out like teenagers in front of his car, catching up on all these weeks when they were dying to do exactly that, finally pulling back breathless, lips swollen, cheeks flushed.

Regina digs a tooth into her lower lip.

"Too bold?"

Robin groans, leaning forward to steal another, shorter kiss. "I love boldness, and I'm definitely not complaining. Come on! I really can't wait to show you what I've planned."

He drives her out of town, turns right onto a dented little dirt road completely plunged into darkness which forces him to keep a small pace so as not to jolt them around.

"If I didn't know you, I might be tempted to think you're a serial killer who's going to bury my body in the woods."

Robin bursts out laughing, grabs her hand and brings it to his lips, dropping a kiss to her knuckles.

"Don't worry. I don't have such agenda, quite the contrary. What I have planned is completely safe."

Regina holds onto his hand as she looks back on the road. She settles down comfortably in her seat, the forest gradually revealing itself to her eyes, until the light of the moon enters her field of vision, Robin stopping the car at the edge of what seems to be a clearing lost in the middle of the trees. She frowns at him, but faces his smirk.

"That's when you need to change your shoes. I have some stuff to pick in the trunk."

Utterly confused about their presence here in the middle of nowhere, Regina does as told. Robin is full of surprise, but he's a sane man. Surely, he must have something in mind. When she joins him at the back the car, he's holding several blankets, two torches, and another small tubular object that she can't identify.

"Can you take this, please? I need to grab something else."

He then takes a good hold onto a large object, pulling it out of the trunk, and that's when Regina understands what this is all about.

"Is this...?"

Robin grins at her.

"I told you what I had planned was safe."

She follows him silently to the center of the clearing, lets him settle everything while she just watches him, heart beating fast. This is the most romantic date she's ever had, and it's not even over yet.

"I wasn't sure we would be able to see something, but the sky is perfectly cleared tonight, it's actually the perfect weather to observe the stars."

Regina can't help it. Barely realizing that he's wrapping a blanket around her shoulders, she leans forward, and kisses him.

"Does that mean you like stargazing?"

Regina nuzzles his nose, biting the inside of her cheek when he looks at her with shining stars in his eyes and that dimpled smile of his.

"I do. You're really full of surprises, aren't you?"

He tugs her closer by slightly pulling on the blanket surrounding her, whispering between the two of them. "Do you mind?"

"Definitely not."

After adjusting the telescope, Robin turns to Regina, takes her hand gently and pulls her towards him.

"Do you know anything about the sky map?"

" Not really. I mean... I'm able to recognize part of the Big Dipper, like most people. The constellation Orion. But that's about as far as it goes."

"All right. We'll start with the naked eye." He turns off the torches, steps slightly away from the telescope, and wraps himself around Regina's back, surrounding her with his warmth and resting his chin on her shoulder. He then grabs the small object she hadn't identified earlier, and she discovers it's a small laser that he uses to point at the stars in the sky. "I chose this spot in the city because it has the lowest light pollution and the best view of the sky. Just watch."

Regina's eyes widen in amazement as the entire sky takes form under her eyes. Robin shows her all the visible constellation, starting with the Big and Little Dipper, Orion, the W forming Cassiopeia, Pegasus, Sagittarius, Centaur, Cepheus, Aquila, the celestial eagle facing Cygnus, Hercules and the Draco constellation, Lera, between the last three constellations.

She listens to him telling her about all the myths about these constellations, her head leaning against his cheek, her back still pressed to his front, savoring the physical contact, his warm breath tickling her ear, making her shiver.

She marvels at the enlarged view of certain stars, the Moon, Jupiter, Venus, even Saturn, whose wings invisible to the naked eye appear through the telescope.

It's with their heads and eyes full of stars that they find themselves lying on a blanket, looking up at the sky, pressed against each other. The question escapes her naturally, but Regina did not expect the answer she would receive, nor the conversation that would follow.

"Where did you learn all this?"

She realizes her mistake at the very second the words pass her lips as Robin freezes, his hand brushing her shoulder halting its movement.

She rises on her elbow, looking down at him, distinguishing his serious face despite the relative darkness.

"Did I say something wrong?"

As if pulled from his thoughts, Robin suddenly moves again, his face turning towards her, a tentative smile forming on his lips.

"No. It's just… it was something I shared with Roland's mother."

Realization dawns upon Regina, a lump forming in her throat, Robin's eyes flashing with pain.

"I'm sorry, Robin. Forget I asked, I didn't-"

"No, Regina! You couldn't know, and it's been years, I should be able to talk about it without…"

"You don't have to talk about this if you don't want to, Robin."

He cups her cheek, sheepishly smiling at her. "I do. I want to talk about her with you." He helps her lean back against his shoulder, his fingers trailing in her hair again. "Marian and I were neighbors during our high school years. Her father was alcoholic, her mother was working at night, so her escape was in the garden, looking at the stars. They didn't have any money, so she did it with the naked eye, and I observed her from my bedroom often, didn't dare go and speak to this girl I had the biggest crush on. I spent months saving all the money my parents gave me so I could buy a small telescope, nothing to do with this one." He waves in the direction of the large telescope a bit aside from them. "It was a small thing, we couldn't see a lot with it, but I remember that when I acted innocent and brought it in the backyard while she was outside, her eyes shone with something different than the constant sadness I could perceive in them."

"I bet you won her over with that move." Regina teases, snuggling further against him when she shivers, Robin's hold instinctively tightening as he tugs the blanket around her.

"I did." He admits in a chuckle. "Because I didn't know anything about the stars, I had also read books and made research, and on that very evening, a whole new world opened to her. From then on, we grew inseparable, until our first kiss during junior year. We were each other's first love, and after we finished high school, since none of us could afford college, we both found small jobs, enough to pay the bills and rent a small apartment together. We didn't have a lot of money, but we had a good, happy life, it was more than enough. We would regularly observe the stars from our window, and once a month, we would go to a park, a place with small light pollution and we would spend the evening there, lying on a blanket on the ground. That's when Roland was conceived." He admits, smiling while thinking of his boy, his wonderful son, the last piece of Marian he has left. "He was unexpected, but we loved him from the moment we learned about his existence." His voice grows serious and grave on the next words. "Except things didn't turn out very well. Marian got high blood pressure during the end of second trimester, so she had to stop working and rest. In consequence, I spent more time at work to compensate for the lack of money, and because she needed more regular checkups. We did everything necessary. I even..."

He pauses, and Regina perceives his chest clenching as he takes a deep breath. She listens, silent, because this isn't easy for him, her stomach squeezing in anticipation of what he's about to reveal.

"When we didn't have enough money to buy both her medication and food, I'd skip my meals so she could eat, pretended that I had already eaten at work. Everything I did wasn't enough. I don't remember the word of the disease that took her, but I do remember us hurrying to the emergency, the doctors telling me it was severe, that I could lose them both... They performed a C-section, took Roland out on time, and even though he spent a couple of weeks in the ICU, my boy survived without any damage. But Marian..." Another heavy breath. "The last time I saw her was during the C-section. She told me to go with Roland, that he needed one of us, that she'd be fine... The doctors did everything they could, but she didn't survive. All I remember after that was the long hours sitting next to my boy, holding his tiny hand, thinking that he was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, and also, the last and only piece of Marian I had left. That he'd never know his mother. I don't know what I'd have done, had I lost them both. Roland is my whole world, the only reason I didn't fall apart after Marian died. Everything I do, I do for him."

Regina rises on her elbow again, fingers tracing the outline of his jaw, eyes brimming with unshed tears.

"You are a wonderful father, Robin. You have nothing to regret, even back then. What you did for Marian was beyond commitment. But sometimes, death wins. It's never easy, we don't always understand why, it often hurts. But medicine doesn't always get the final word."

"Did you ever lose a patient? One that you couldn't forget? That was unfair?"

She swallows, didn't expect him focusing the subject on her after revealing such a painful part of his life.

"I did."

"Will you tell me about him?"

"Her." she corrects. "And I will, one day. Tonight was about you, and I really do appreciate that you confided in me, when I am no one and nothing to you yet."

It's Robin's turn to move on his elbows, sitting up fully and helping Regina do the same. He arranges the blanket around her shoulders, takes a moment for himself as he plays with the lapel of her leather jacket –it really suits her-, until his eyes find hers.

"You are not nothing, Regina, and even less no one to me." He leans forward, tenderly presses his lips against hers. "You are a kind, generous, funny, beautiful woman whom I have the deepest crush on." She blushes at his words, finds his mischievous and lopsided grin facing her. "I know this is only our first date, and only time will tell us what life has in store for us, but I truly hope, with all my heart, that you and I will have a chance to build a life together. Because I'm sure that it's going to be a wonderful adventure."

Regina leans her forehead against his, closing her eyes as she breathes him in, moaning softly at the feeling of his fingers trailing in her back.

"Oh, I'm ready to bet on that!"

* * *

_So, what do you think? _


End file.
